Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-02-19
Local Option.

! legislature in which centers much in
terest is generally known rs the local
option bill Its most important pro-
vision has rec eived some notice in these
columns heretofore. It's makes obliga-
tory upon the commissioners of any
county the calling of an election to vote
upon the proposition whether license
for the sale Of liquor shall or shall not
be granted in such county, whenever a
petition signed by 200 of the duly quail
| fed voters asking for the calling of such
an election shall be presented Our al
vices from Bismarck indicate that this
bill may be passed. At least they indi-
| cate Willingness on the part of the
| legislature TO accede TO the demands OF
large element of the people Of the ter
| ritory for temperance legislation Of one
kind or other, and the local option bill
is considered with more favor than any
other temperance bill proposed. The
provision that an election shall be called
upon petition OF 200 voters arouses OPP
position, rs ii is argued that counties
might thus be kept voting upon the
question at short intervals and great
expense when but small minority Of
its people would favor the adjustment
Of the liquor traffic. The law at present
in existance is in some counties Of Da-
kota construed into and made to serve
all the purposes of local option law
1t provides that the county commissions
ers shall not issue liquor license to inn
proper persons. In many counties Of
the territory men OF strong prohibition
tendencies have been elected as com
missioners. BY the election of such
men the liquor traffic in such counties
has been as nearly abolished az a major
ity vote of the people would abolish it,
for they have held that there is no
proper person to engage in the liquor
traffic, and have absolutely refused
LIQUOR license. 1t may be asserted with
out fear Of successful contradiction that
which the prohibition element has a
decided majority license is refused.
More could scarce be accomplished by
the enactment of loca! option law 1t
may be possible that in some counties
the prohibitionists and anti-prohibi-
tionists are nearly equal in voting
-
could the former hope for early advant-
age by the passage of the proposed law.
If local option law were to be passed
providing for an election. in which each
town, township or precinct should have
voice only in regard to the question
within its own confines, the prohibi-
tionists could hope to accomplish little.
And yet this would more properly be
termed local option law than that
which is now proposed. The towns
would generally vote for license, and
the saloons would be little, if at all
diminished in number. Those who
favor the local option law most strongly
rely upon Lne NOLc OI tUe ldTlDlnH pOpu-
lation, added to the minority vote of the
towns, to carry an election against
license. 1t may be questioned whether
prohibition forced upon the towns by
the vote of those residing outside Of
them and having no special interest in
them would be enforced. The element
depended upon to carry the election in
favor Of prohibition would be largely
outside Of the towns. In the towns,
generally, the majority would be against
prohibition. The sentiment in the
places chiefly affected by the liquor
traffic might thus not be expected to be
such as would enforce the law. Whether
the revenue at present derived by coun-
ty and municipal governments from the
liquor traffic might not thus be cut off
without the accomplishment of sufficient
benefit to offset the loss-without q
practical diminution in the number Of
saloons-is question worthy Of consid-
eration.-Rapid Journal.